by Lynch, S. M.
Tom nearly lost his life and had changed because of that. I suppose that’s why he transformed from a sweet teenager I once knew to a very contemplative, intense soul, who realized that when a good thing came along, you couldn’t ignore it. We married so quickly but neither of us ever doubted what was between us. It was instantaneous, unquestionable chemistry, so strong that our beings were intrinsically connected. On our wedding day, my life became complete as he slipped that ring on my finger. I was so happy. We honeymooned in Antigua for two weeks and bared our souls to one another. It was a very passionate love between us, extremely so sometimes, and I became pregnant not long after we were married. I was shocked by the discovery at first, it was unexpected, but we prepared to become parents with such enthusiasm. Tom sold his bachelor pad and we used the money to renovate the flat above the shop, preparing it for our new arrival.
We could have bought ourselves a big house instead of that little flat, but we loved the romance of the Shambles. The beams, low ceilings, barn doors and stone walls. Tom’s love for me grew even more after I became pregnant and it was the greatest experience of my life. I bore a child in May, 2014, and we named her Imogen Samara Bradbury. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever set eyes on and I suddenly realized what life was really all about. I suffered terribly during the delivery, but Tom was such a wonderful support, and we got through it together. He was my rock.
Though I’d become a mother, I continued my work at the shop, and for some reason my business thrived. People came from all over the world to have me make them their wedding dresses. I gained a sort of cult following and started to take on more staff to balance my work life with motherhood.
Tom was sure he had left the trauma of his illness behind, but in 2023 it caught up with him. When we heard Stephan had taken ill, Tom went to his house and nursed him, and I signed the death certificate as if my husband had died. It was easy. Amidst the chaos and panic, Tom took his friend’s identity and went into hiding with our daughter. He needed to be dead, otherwise he knew he would never be able to escape Officium’s clutches. I reverted back to my maiden name to protect myself. The world collapsed and Officium took advantage of the situation to infiltrate every level of society. They not only took over shops and restaurants, but they gained a monopoly over a huge number of the world’s doctors and professors.
Now, on to the most difficult subject. Your father Hamish never told you, but he attended our wedding with his parents. He was a young boy then. We saw him quite often because they visited me in York frequently. He turned out to be a very gifted physician, but Vivienne was just as talented, as I’m sure you well know. As a young woman, she was just like you – ferocious and feisty. She survived a tough upbringing only to gain herself a place at Leeds to study medicine. She was wild but Hamish tamed her, loving her possibly more than any man ever could. They just couldn’t risk you finding out the truth and they distanced themselves because of that. You gave them such joy, Seraph, but they felt such a responsibility to make this world a better place for you. They couldn’t risk your safety; they never wanted you to pursue your career for fear you might get hurt. They themselves had lived through some terrible times, the worst of times even. They spent their lives trying to protect you.
When we found out that Officium had set up their headquarters in New York to further their business interests, your parents offered themselves up. They finished their medical training at Columbia and both excelled in cardiology. Their day job was a cover. They were in with Officium’s crowd and would leak information to me about the organization's members and activities, especially in medical circles. We tried to get evidence of the group’s culpability but it always seemed impossible. We knew that digging up bits of dirt on them wouldn’t be enough. We needed evidence of what really happened to cause 2023, but we could never get it. They were so secretive and their emissaries would stop at nothing to protect the truth. It’s the only thing they know to do. We never managed to get anywhere, but knew, we couldn’t just stand by and do nothing either. The world would only be free if we could get hard proof.
I used my contacts from the shop to build up a group of people who felt as we did, that something needed to be done. It was agonizing not being able to live a proper family life with Tom, but we knew it had to be that way. The love we shared meant that we had to do whatever it took for him to survive.
However after your parents died, he couldn’t hold back his anger. He traveled to New York to meet with members of UNITY there, but paid with his life. For so many years I’d known it was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for the loss. I hadn’t been able to say goodbye to him properly because it would have meant risking my identity. The only thing I knew to do was to carry on. He was 72, but for me, he had still always been that same teenager I fell in love with all those years ago, and it tore my heart to bits. It was then that I really started to make headway in making my organization as strong as it could be. I really needed to make our intelligence work after that and we began reinforcing our surveillance teams across the world. Camille was there for me throughout, and without her, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have. She made so many contacts during her travels. She had the skills, the tenacity and the strength our cause needed. She was the key to making UNITY work.
Mara is not so dissimilar to you, Seraph. But she grew up in the wake of 2023 and she is incredibly tough because of it. She was always her father’s daughter and we knew from a very early age she would pursue some sort of scientific career. Her husband Richard, Lucius’s father, was killed by Officium. He was a fellow virologist who stepped on the toes of the wrong people. She was only 35 when she lost him. I hope that once this is all over, Mara will find herself a quiet place to hide away and finally find some peace.
I’m so sorry that we did, but we kept the truth from you because it was your protection. We couldn’t risk you, my darling. We all felt that if you knew nothing from an early age, you would never need to be burdened by it all. None of us expected you to go chasing after the truth in the manner you have done, and I took it upon myself to protect you after your parents died. It was I who fed you information on all the power players of New York City and a lot of people paid with their lives to get you that information. There are only a few of us strong enough and dedicated enough in this world to fight for justice. We’ve suffered some terrible losses, but we must have faith.
We amassed thousands of members all over the world and to aid our cause, our group purchased grand hotels for our meetings. The Plaza, Ritz, George V, Lido, etc. They would have gone to wrack and ruin, or been transformed into Mercy Inns, if we had not taken them on. All the people who run those places belong to UNITY, all working and gathering information, using their jobs as the perfect guise, as have I over the years. We all knew the risks, the danger, the severity of our situations if we were discovered, and yet we stayed true to the cause, knowing we were acting for good, for the restoration of this world back to something akin to normality. Tom and I also bought up half the Shambles as the For Sale signs went up, knowing the entire street would have been knocked down otherwise.
In recent years, Camille would travel as my bodyguard ‒ if I was forced to travel. She was the perfect companion, never attracting attention, but ready to demonstrate her skills if necessary. If there is one person in this world you can rely on without a shadow of a doubt, it is Camille. I’m sure she has plenty of stories to tell you. I foresee you and she forging a lasting, lifelong friendship.
Many of my clients at the shop were members of UNITY who met their partners at our meetings, or working with Mara. I was simply someone who brought people together, and it is the people who believed in me that made me the Operator. They pushed me to be great, to act for them in their stead, and utilize my resources to the best of my abilities. I simply became what I did because of situation and circumstance. At the end of everything, I’m still only a woman who loved a man and lost him. He was never the same after 2023.
Mara and her family are sufficiently provided for from her father’s will, don’t worry about that, so I’ve chosen you to take the majority of my estate. I want you to continue my legacy, which I will now explain.
I had many people on the inside, all risking themselves. One person in particular risked themselves to get me important codes, technology and the most classified information. It is for their safety and yours that I do not reveal their identity. Suffice it to say, this contact got me information recently that suggests 2023’s secrets are hidden in one particular lab ‒ in Brooklyn, where I believe they have those vaccines they’ve always denied knowledge of. You need to get in and bring them to justice, once and for all. I need you to do it for me, and Tom. Use that money and do whatever it takes to end this once and for all. Afterwards, start a new life, be happy and help the world rebuild itself.
You know I love you. You will find what you’re looking for, I’m sure, if you haven’t already. When this is all over, my girl, seek some sort of happiness for yourself. In the next life we will see each other again.
All my love, ever yours, Auntie Eve x
CHAPTER 28
I turned the last page of the letter and sat trying to comprehend everything. I could so easily have begun to cry, but suddenly my mind was so clear. The end was in sight. I took a few deep breaths and composed myself.
I spotted Ryken dozing on the couch when I walked back into the living room. The blanket had fallen down and his chest was bare. I went to cover him back up, smiling at the sight of such a beautiful man laid up in my apartment. I sat by his side, squeezing myself onto a patch of seat he hadn’t managed to occupy.
I took a large, warm hand of his and kissed the grazes on his knuckles. I pulled his hand up to my cheek and held it there, closing my eyes. They were like bear paws and I knew why many opponents had fallen foul of his ruthless fighting skills. He was bred to defend, to lead, to kill if he had to. I had to believe he was just doing what must be done.
He stirred, shifting about with his eyes still closed. I knelt on the floor and went closer to him, studying his face.
‘Ryken,’ I whispered, even his name on my lips arousing. Any name and he would be beautiful, but he had such an unusual, masculine one.
His eyes flickered open and he saw me hovering above him. I gently stroked his injured face with my fingertips, tracing the cuts and bruises. A kiss from his lips to the tip of my little finger sent me rocketing towards bliss. His lips pursed and he seemed anxious, yet hopeful.
He knew I felt it too. It was undeniable.
‘Come here, Seraph,’ his gruff voice commanded.
‘What for?’ I wanted to know. He had a dark, wicked look behind his eyes.
‘A cuddle, angel. A moment of calm,’ he softened, a tiny smile curling up one side of his lips.
I laid next to him on the large couch as he made room and brought his blanket over me too. I rested on his chest, glorying in his body. His was a fighter’s physique, real and carved in action. Under my cheek, I felt the scars. His ribs were jagged and uneven beneath his skin, he also had cuts that were old and new. His bruises were a rainbow of green, mustard, crimson and mauve. When his arms encircled me and he sighed, I relaxed too.
I began to heat through so I lifted slightly and unzipped my hooded sweater, peeling it off. I replaced myself on his chest, tightening my hands around his shoulders.
‘I like your bra,’ he groaned, kissing the top of my head.
I was wearing a purple lace item I had found in the back of a drawer. With matching panties. I had always laughed at other women who made an effort but now I was one of them. That morning I had secretly hoped I would see him at some point that day.
‘I was getting hot.’
‘Seraph… you are beautiful, with or without this shit hot lace.’
He pinged my bra strap. I felt thrilled.
‘You are just … filthy,’ I challenged him.
‘Come here,’ he demanded, gripping my wrist between his hand and motioning that I move closer.
I shifted upwards and held myself up on him. When I saw his face, I was staggered by his expression. He was utterly beautiful and clearly, blushing.
I knitted my hands through his short black hair, feeling more scars on his scalp beneath. I smiled when his hands splayed across my lower back, pushing me into his growing arousal.
‘Your body is a map of your own self-destruction.’
‘It is my journey to you, angel,’ he said wearily. ‘I will take down anyone who gets in my way of you. I just never knew it until now.’
I lowered my face to his, high on those words, raising an eyebrow still as his hands stroked up and down my back, each time grazing the clasps on my bra. My chest must have been pounding against his own. I stared deep into his eyes.
‘You scare me. Yet, I always gravitated towards what I fear. I think if I conquer it,’ I whispered, feeling his breath on my lip, ‘I may be able to one day live without it.’
His hands then pinned me to him, so my breasts were crushed against his brutish form. When I stroked a finger over his mouth, his flesh seemed so foreign and unlike mine. His lips were tougher and puckered. I was devastatingly attracted to him. I knew one kiss with us laid like that would see us mate, again. He was what I needed to complete me, my opposite. I stroked my nose around his and nipped his top lip. He moaned and squeezed his eyes shut, ‘Ah, Seraph.’
His deep feeling for me terrified me in that moment and I buried myself in his arms once more. He held me so tight as I gasped against his pounding heart, clawing at his arms for reassurance.
‘I am so frightened, Ryken,’ I trembled.
‘Everything is going to be alright,’ he told me slowly.
I heard the words that every woman wants to hear, and yet still don’t quite believe. He was a broken man, a tortured soul and just a fellow human being in that moment, and I needed him. I didn’t care about his past, not anymore. I wanted to leave my own behind, too.
I lifted myself so I lay flat out on top of him, stretching my body over his. ‘I am not hurting you?’
‘Never, never,’ he assured me, though he was injured and must have felt some discomfort.
His hand held my nape and he slowly brought my lips down to his. Our mouths sank together and I closed my eyes, letting myself be taken. He fixed his lips to mine and the raw power of our attraction had me separating my legs, straddling his thighs.
A strangled grunt erupted from his mouth and I pulled his hair when his tongue charged against mine, tasting me. We rocked and I moaned when his clothed cock nudged the bud of nerves at my cleft.
His long, black eyelashes fluttered apart and my stomach flipped, as I realized fully that this man was my own self, staring right back at me. Our greatest affinity was the sheer and utter need for some sort of passion in life, and now it was each other.
The room became non-existent.
The bra clasp was snapped, the garment thrown, and my breasts squeezed and pinched between his fingers. I cried out at the excruciating brutality and dragged my teeth through his bottom lip. I forced him to stop with my fingers through his, pushing his hands to the sides of his head, while my breasts rocked against his bare chest, grazing his silken hair.
‘Let me kiss you, let me,’ I begged.
He conceded; his eyes as black as night.
The tip of my tongue licked the satiny underside of his top lip and our fingers tightened on each other’s. I planted tantalizing kisses all around his mouth before gently pushing deeper to find his tongue, sucking his back into my mouth as we kissed more intently. Beneath me I felt his arousal; enormous and proud, prodding my belly.
Soon it was just mindless and wild. I moved from his mouth to bite his earlobe, then licked the tender insides of his biceps and moaned, ‘So strong.’
I bit the downy, rough skin on his chest and suddenly, he couldn’t take it any longer. He grabbed my wrists and sat against the backrest with me on his lap.
I ruffled his hair eagerly while he grabbed my buttocks, kneading them and squeezing them as we kissed deeply.
I pulled myself off his face to catch my breath and tenderness took over. He stroked my cheeks and murmured, ‘I love you. Not like a man loves a woman, like a warrior loves his goddess. I would die for you.’
Once upon a time, I never would have imagined that Seraph Maddon would swoon but that is exactly what I did. He was darkly handsome and saying such wonderful things, kissing me, making me feel all kinds of new sensations. He caught me and I arched my back into his hands. When his mouth found one of my upturned nipples, my womb contracted and I yelped. His hot tongue swirled around my bud and he closed his lips over the areola to kiss it. The stickiness between my legs was becoming unbearable. I desperately needed to lie with him.
I watched curiously as he reverently kissed and sucked my nipple, before elatedly burying himself in my bosom. He moved back to my mouth and tore away at my lips so much I could hardly breathe. We were completely lost in ecstasy – all pain and suffering flying out of the window.
‘I want you, Ryken,’ I growled, digging my nails in his biceps.
He stood with me in his arms and I saw his eyes dart around and settle on a surface he could have me on. The long coffee table.
Everything was swept away, cups went flying and smashing, bowls clanged on the wood floor. I was laid down and while he knelt, I untied my sweat pants and he urgently pulled them down, throwing those and my panties behind him. Before I knew it, his arms wrapped themselves around my naked thighs.